'Lillee behind rise of pacers'
Posted on May 02, 2007 at 13:28 | Updated May 09, 2007 at 19:00
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Tags: cricket, cricket interview, TA Sekhar
Cricketnext.com: Do your trainees continue to follow your advice even after leaving the academy?
TA Sekhar: Our coaches need to learn much more about the art of fast bowling. For instance, boys graduate from our academy and then go back to their respect states where the state coaches invariably make changes to their actions. At times, coaches merely advise the fast bowlers to maintain line and length and forgot about their natural ability to swing the ball. The bowlers lose their rhythm and also whatever they have learnt here.
Cricketnext.com: How can you produce bowlers with higher speeds?
TA Sekhar: We may not have produced bowlers like Brett Lee or Shoaib Akhtar but we can continue to produce bowlers who are able to bowl between130 kmph to 140 kmph. We have created awareness about fast bowling, which was not there 15- 20 years back. It was alien to Indian players. Today, there is demand for genuine fast bowlers to represent India.
Cricketnext.com: Is there any system in the BCCI to talent hunt and nurture potential bowlers?
TA Sekhar: I cannot speak for the BCCI but we at MRF have a proper system to identify talents in every nook and corner of our country. Today we have under-19 boys who are capable of bowling really fast but they need to be nurtured. Usually, we invite 30 to 40 boys and train them for about a fortnight and then Dennis Lillee selects the 10-12 best ones for a one-year training programme.
Cricketnext.com: Do you co-ordinate with the BCCI and what does it expect from you?
TA Sekhar: I cannot speak about the role of the BCCI in this. But I was asked by a BCCI official to make the MRF academy a full-fledged bowling academy for fast, medium and spin bowlers. It was not in our scheme of things. It is rather difficult to handle such a huge academy. Perhaps, a professional cricketer like Anil Kumble will be the ideal person for a spin academy.
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